Z/B: skated to WSS and had improved speed than last season- 3 twist (small crash) both throws doubles because of her recovering injury (I was told by Mom in audience)- sbs 2 axels with steps before and 3 toe skip 3 toe series- again she only did doubles, but his was rock solid. Nice "Maria" slow piece, they were both deep into character...Great difficult lifts- last one with carry at end into end position.

K/O: This team has a great speed- solid sbs 3 sals, she went down on 2 axel series- lifts good- (they also end program with lift) 3 sal throw huge but fall and a big double twist- Rachmaninov long- they seem to relate to each other very well considering it was (I heard) her first pair competition- fun to see this team develop through "boot camp" of Liberty and Indy-

According to the local article (see post #83 for link): "[Tarah] Kayne recently missed a month of action with a torn ligament in her ankle" and Zhang/Bartholomay "have bypassed jumps and throws for several weeks after [Felicia] Zhang took a bad fall."

Jessica Pfund/AJ Reiss (JGP-eligible), coached by Peter Oppegard, are also making their season debut at LA Open, along with Elise Middleton/Robert Hennings, who are staying Novice (they were 5th in Novice at 2012 Nationals).

ETA: Christina "Divette" Zaitsev/Ernie Utah Stevens (4th in Novice at Nationals, JGP-eligible) will skate their Junior programs in exhibition at a competition in Troy, Ohio the same weekend as LA Open.

@KiriBaga tweeted today:

Nothing is more scary than learning a pairs twist. Nothing. I'm not sayin' its bad but it's scary.

Kiri Baga already has competed in singles this season and plans to continue - she's in USFS' International Selection Pool for singles and still JGP age-eligible at 17. Baga/Toth are scheduled to compete (debut?) at Indy Challenge in early August - Jeremy Allen is their pairs coach in Chicago.

Jessica Pfund/AJ Reiss (JGP-eligible), coached by Peter Oppegard, are also making their season debut at LA Open, along with Elise Middleton/Robert Hennings, who are staying Novice (they were 5th in Novice at 2012 Nationals).

ETA: Christina "Divette" Zaitsev/Ernie Utah Stevens (4th in Novice at Nationals, JGP-eligible) will skate their Junior programs in exhibition at a competition in Troy, Ohio the same weekend as LA Open.

@KiriBaga tweeted today:

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Divaette and Utah! I so hope these two kids stay together. Such potential.

Thanks Sylvia...Not a great "start" for Caitlin and Josh: 2 throw sal, fall on 2 toe, shaky "standing still" simple Swan lift, I can see why they aren't competing at Indy now...I predict a withdrawal from Skate Detroit with Camp Delilah showing up in force.

ETA: Christina "Divette" Zaitsev/Ernie Utah Stevens (4th in Novice at Nationals, JGP-eligible) will skate their Junior programs in exhibition at a competition in Troy, Ohio the same weekend as LA Open.

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Her nickname is "Divette"? Really?? I've got to hear how that came about!

Her nickname is "Divette"? Really?? I've got to hear how that came about!

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Just checked the 2012 U.S. Nationals Novice Pairs play-by-play thread in the FSU Archives, and it looks like rfisher first nicknamed Zaitsev/Stevens "Utah and Divaette" (Utah is Stevens' middle name) and oleada used "Divette." So which should we go with - "Divaette" or "Divette"?

I'm pretty sure the most recent article listed is going off of somewhat old information (it is a high school publication, but hey, the first article was better than many of the articles we come across ):

"In 2011, the pair placed fourth nationally at the intermediate level and are competing at the novice level for 2012."
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That's kinda true... they did compete at the Novice level for the 2012 Nationals where they placed 4th. But those were in January. The rest of 2012 the expectation is that they'll compete in the Junior level. (Entered in Junior at Troy, and Indy Challenge - -as well as added to the ISP (International Selection Pool)). They will take their junior test in August.

Thanks, Rochelle! Stevens mentioned the "2012 Junior Olympics in Austria" as a goal in the March 2011 article -- I assume he meant the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, but it turned out they weren't eligible to be selected because they competed at the Novice level in the 2011-12 season (not sure they were age-eligible in any case?).

Tim LeDuc posted on fb today he is signed up for Indy. Does anyone know who he is skating with?

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Looks like DeeDee Leng! She won the 2009 U.S. junior ladies title at the age of 15. Leng, now 18, last competed in the fall of 2009 (JGP in Lake Placid) and then withdrew from the rest of that season due to a back injury.